Fos, who is going to win at Bourg, completely adrift. Le Portel which plants Le Mans in Antarès. Paris, which falls heavily against Châlons-Reims. Orléans who are beaten by Pau… The day was very hectic at the bottom of the table. The good deal was achieved by the Chorale de Roanne, which definitely ensured its maintenance against Strasbourg (90-87).
The Chorale had a hellish first half, leading 54-39 with an evaluation of 71. But the SIG fought back with a 13-0 in five minutes, and everything remained to be done. It was only on the last action that the small leader Loren Jackson (21 points like Johnny Berhanemeskel) delivered his team from an award-winning basket.
« Roanne was ready, had a game plan and followed it, pushing us through our mistakes,” commented GIS coach Lassi Tuovi. “We were so cool. You could say it was an accident against Bourg, but making the same mistake again arriving here and starting like that… you have to respect your opponent, that’s the main point. Each team has been playing its future in the competition for two weeks. You can still see the results today. If you don’t respect the game, you get destroyed. They deserved their victory.«
Photo : Loren Jackson (Chorale)